It’s a lot harder because every item for sale is different and it’s very hard for a buyer to assess true quality without seeing a steer in the flesh.

Unlike in a sale yard buyers online buy “sight unseen”.

But a Glen Innes company seems to have cracked the difficult task. Colin Say & Co in Glen Innes sell more livestock through the online Australia-wide site, AuctionsPlus, than any other agents. Altogether, the Glen Innes company sells about 9,000 head of cattle a year.

One of the directors, Shad Bailey, said that trust was essential.

Sellers of anything always want to make what they’re selling as attractive as possible to buyers – but if buyers get to feel they can’t trust the seller, business diminshes. Accordingly, pictures and video of the animal to be sold online need to be well done but accurate.

Another director, Nathan Purvis, said: “I think the number one thing is pride in what you do. You treat it as something you own yourself and you want to present it to the best of your ability.”

He said you make the animal look as good as possible in video and stills. You describe the breeding programme and take an interest in clients but all the time remembering that you have to be honest in the description: “It's about promotion but being honest as well.”

Anna Speer, the chief excutive of AuctionsPlus, said: “I don’t get to have favourite agencies as the AuctionsPlus CEO, but if I did, the team at Colin Say & Co would be right up there.”

She thought that Colin Say and Co were helping to lead the way in marketing. She said Shad Bailey was “often teased by his mates as the AuctionsPlus golden boy”.

“He strives to improve, change and innovate”, said the chief executive of the online auctions site.